Saint, You Should Quit Smoking

As my body blocked the Knight Hunter’s path, he quietly spoke.
“You will get hurt.”
“I imagine so.”
I calmly nodded.
The power balance was clearly unfavorable. Between Valter, who had reached the Flower Realm, and me with only Dragon’s Blood, there was an insurmountable gap.
Nevertheless.
“…It seems you won’t step aside.”
Valter said this and then.
Took one step forward.
The next moment.
Ka-ga-gak-! A blade grazed my cheek.
His thrusting speed was truly like a ray of light. I activated my Dragon Eyes and could somewhat follow his movements, but.
‘I couldn’t react.’
In a battle of movements against someone at the Flower Realm, I simply couldn’t react in time.
That’s precisely why I had asked Rinet for a protective barrier.
Shiiik-! Without hesitation, I stretched out my arm.
Since I needed direct contact to land an effective hit, I just needed my hand to touch him somehow.
However.
“…”
Whip- Valter avoided my arm with a simple movement.
‘Tsk.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly. I had expected it, but the difference between my opponent and me was significant.
Valter continued swinging his sword.
Vertically, horizontally, thrusting.
Even though the barrier Rinet had placed was doing its job excellently in protecting me.
My attacks couldn’t reach him.
“…”
Valter took a step back, quietly looked at me, and.
With a gloomy expression, he spoke.
“…Please stop. I don’t wish to commit the crime of assassinating a member of the imperial family.”
“What will you do if I step aside?”
“I will destroy the sealing stone.”
His voice continued wearily.
“That’s the ‘Voice’s’ command. Since the moment I fell for that demon’s whispers, I cannot disobey.”
“Then I cannot step aside.”
My legs stood firm. As if proving I would absolutely not move aside.
Imperial command.
I came all this way to achieve something, and there would be no meaning if the sealing stone were destroyed here.
“I have something at stake as well.”
“Is that so.”
Valter gripped his sword again.
There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in his eyes.
He intended to take me down with his next strike. Whether I died or was injured, he would certainly proceed toward the sealing stone.
It was a critical moment. Even though it was a situation where I could lose my life with one misstep.
“Huu….”
I simply took a quiet breath.
I didn’t show it.
Fear or hesitation. I didn’t reveal the emotions blooming in my heart.
What I needed to take was the will to provide peace.
To the man before me.
To the woman behind.
Nothing else was necessary.
“…”
I concentrated my optical nerves. Thump, thump. My eyes felt like they would burst as the dragon’s blood rushed to my eyeballs.
But I had to endure it.
‘If I detect even a little too late.’
Death would be waiting.
Tak, and.
The moment the Knight Hunter stepped forward.
His body exploded off the ground and.
Without any waste of movement, he thrust his sword toward my heart.
‘I can see it…!’
Drop. A drop of blood fell from my eyes.
I had used my Dragon Eyes too much for fear of missing something.
But there was a reward.
The entire sequence of movements was captured in my eyes from beginning to end.
That’s why I could react.
I raised my hand at the maximum speed I could muster. Valter’s sword lunged straight for my palm.
Ppa-gak!
The protective barrier that had been blocking sword strikes shattered, having reached the end of its life.
Naturally, the sword didn’t stop, so.
Pook-!
“Kuk…!”
It was inevitable that my palm would be forcibly torn apart.
Extreme pain. The power behind the sword was so great that even after being blocked once by the barrier, my hand was in tatters.
If I had made even the slightest mistake, my hand would have been severed completely.
‘This is painful.’
My palm, pierced by the sword to the point of touching the hilt, sent terrible pain signals to my brain, but.
Kka-deuk.
I gritted my teeth and grabbed with my hand.
“…?!”
My fingers made contact with Valter’s hand that was holding the sword hilt. In reality, perhaps just one finger’s print barely touched the back of his hand, but.
‘That is enough.’
For what I needed to do, it was more than sufficient.
Dragon Blood Magic
Internal Energy Shattering Technique Secret
Mind-scape Reconnection
“Kuhuk?!”
The Knight Hunter’s mouth opened roughly. Dark blood spilled from his open mouth.
“Kuluk, keok…!”
He released the sword and stepped back several paces, covering his mouth with his hand.
His pupils were shaking severely. He seemed unable to comprehend what had just happened to him.
I pulled the sword from my hand. Despite the piercing pain as it was removed, my expression didn’t show even a crack.
Clang! The sound of the sword rolling on the floor.
“…”
The Knight Hunter still covered his mouth and made no movement. He didn’t seem to care at all that he had dropped his sword.
He couldn’t help it.
“Are you coming to your senses now?”
At first glance, it might seem like an out-of-place statement.
We had just been in a life-or-death battle. Suddenly asking if he had regained his senses.
However, Valter’s expression suggested he understood something about my words.
“…My head…”
With a trembling voice.
Valter raised his hands to hold his head.
His pupils were filled with shock.
“It doesn’t… hurt anymore…”
“That’s right.”
I nodded. It had been a high-risk action, but I was satisfied because I had achieved the desired result.
Mind-scape Reconnection.
An application of the Internal Energy Shattering Technique, a skill that interferes with not only the flow within the opponent’s body but even their mind-scape.
Of course, I’m still lacking in the ability to interfere with the mind-scape of someone who has reached the Flower Realm, but.
‘His mind-scape was already broken.’
He must have forcibly raised his realm. The cause was probably the power of the ‘Voice.’ The fact that he coughed up blood from the Mind-scape Reconnection was because his mind-scape wasn’t normal.
“I corrected your mind-scape. What was distorted has returned to its rightful place, so your consciousness should be clearer.”
“…”
Valter said nothing.
With his eyes closed, quietly. He took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes again.
Intelligence had returned to his gaze.
“…I don’t know how long it’s been since my mind was this clear.”
His voice, which had been weary, now contained vitality.
The Knight Hunter bowed his head with clear eyes.
“Thank you. I have received grace from one of noble blood.”
“No need for thanks. It’s meaningless at this point.”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember what you said earlier?”
Valter seemed to anticipate what I wanted to say.
“You clearly said that you would let me behead you if I achieved what I wanted. Is that correct?”
“I remember.”
“Is that still your stance?”
“How could it not be?”
The Knight Hunter’s answer was without hesitation. Based on that fact, it seemed he had no more desire to fight.
Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief and.
I turned my head to look behind me. There was a woman there, making eye contact with me.
“Ah…”
As if she couldn’t quite believe it, she opened her lips slightly.
With a blank expression looking at me, I gave her a bitter smile.
“How are you feeling now? Seeing this…”
“…H-how did you do that?”
Rinet cut off my words and slowly approached me.
Her ash-colored pupils were filled with disbelief.
“Even I, a Saint, couldn’t do something like this. No, no one in this world could correct a mind-scape. So how…”
“Is that what’s important?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m more curious about whether your heart is now at ease.”
At my words, Rinet’s expression went blank. As if she had been struck.
She seemed to have lost her words completely.
‘Further conversation will be difficult.’
It seems she’ll need more time to calm her heart.
So I brought up a different topic with Rinet.
A rather urgent subject.
“By the way, Saint.”
“…”
“Would you mind healing my hand first?”
I said, waving my hand.
Blood had been dripping constantly, and since she hadn’t been paying attention to it, I was on the verge of bleeding to death.
It was getting to the point where I was feeling cold rather than just pain.
“…Kyaa, kyaaak! What should I do…!”
Rinet finally noticed the state of my hand and jumped in surprise.
Hodarak- Seeing her rush toward me.
My eyes closed, and the world was enveloped in darkness.

My eyelids fluttered.
With effort, I lifted my thousand-weight eyelids to see a dark sky through the window.
It was night.
“…”
I slowly moved my pupils again.
‘This is… an infirmary?’
Judging by the white room and the smell of medicine, it seemed to be the infirmary inside the Boderod Estate.
At that moment, I felt a sensation on my injured hand. Something was caressing my skin. Something very soft, just like a woman’s skin.
“…What are you doing?”
I asked, recognizing who it was. My voice was cracked.
“…”
Silence.
Rinet continued to stroke my hand without saying anything. As if she wanted to feel the pain in my place.
Since she showed no sign of speaking first, I opened the conversation. I was also curious about something.
“…What happened to the Knight Hunter?”
“He was escorted to the imperial prison by soldiers.”
I pondered over her answer.
-How could it not be?
‘In the end.’
He couldn’t avoid facing judgment for his crimes. Even considering his circumstances, he had committed too many evil acts.
Rinet continued her explanation.
“That person didn’t resist at all. He even put the handcuffs on himself.”
“I see.”
“…”
Abruptly.
The hand caressing mine stopped. Rinet silently stared at me, then opened her beautiful lips.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
“How did you think of correcting his mind-scape?”
“Hmm.”
I hummed in response to her question.
An imperial secret. A question that couldn’t be answered without explaining my powers.
I hesitated briefly about whether I should explain, but.
‘No.’
I decided to trust her.
I decided to trust this woman named Rinet.
Having made up my mind, my mouth produced a concise explanation of the essentials. Rinet’s expression was calm as she learned the circumstances.
‘She doesn’t seem particularly concerned.’
When I finished my explanation, Rinet closed her mouth, then asked me another question.
“No. Your Highness, that’s not what I’m asking.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’m asking ‘why’ you thought of correcting his mind-scape. Even though…”
Her fingers traced the back of my hand.
Her ash-colored pupils contained regret.
“Like this… getting hurt like this. It was dangerous. You might have lost the use of your hand completely.”
“Is that so.”
“I managed to heal it somehow, but… you won’t be able to use it for a while.”
Rinet stopped speaking there.
Her serious gaze pierced my face. As if she wouldn’t accept any attempt to change the subject.
“Why did you do it?”
I.
Turned my gaze to the ceiling and kept my mouth shut.
Because it felt embarrassing to say it out loud.
“…Because I met a certain young woman.”
“…?”
A bitter smile formed on my lips. Though it wasn’t long ago, it felt like a distant memory.
“It was truly a terrible encounter. From our very first meeting, she pulled out a cigarette.”
“…Ah.”
“I wondered what kind of person she was, so I talked more with her and realized she had her circumstances.”
I couldn’t see Rinet’s face.
Without turning my gaze from the white ceiling, I continued speaking.
“Sometimes she seemed like a real troublemaker. Other times, she appeared more responsible than anyone.”
“…”
“But there were many burdens placed on her shoulders. Once I realized how heavily they weighed on her…”
At that point, I turned my gaze.
I couldn’t tell what her ash-colored pupils were thinking. I deliberately didn’t use my Dragon Eyes.
Those emotions should remain Rinet’s secret.
“I simply wanted to help carry them with her.”
My eyes curved.
Like the promise we had shared that night.
“That’s my reason. Haha, it’s embarrassing to talk about something so unremarkable.”
“…”
The Saint said nothing.
Rinet lowered her head. She bowed it so deeply that I couldn’t see her expression at all.
How long did that state continue? When Rinet’s white face finally became visible after keeping her head down for a while.
“Your Highness.”
She had finished making up her mind.
“Do you remember what I asked you?”
“What do you mean?”
“About how you think of me.”
At those words, my face grew awkward.
To suddenly bring up that topic here. Isn’t it a bit abrupt?
Rinet paid no attention to my reaction and.
Put firm determination in her voice.
“You don’t have to answer.”
“Pardon?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
Before I could ask her why.
“It doesn’t matter anymore.”
And then.
Rinet.
Clasped her hands together. With her white fingers neatly intertwined.
She confessed her heart.
“I love you.”
The time was late night. Under the same night sky as once before.
This time, Rinet conveyed her true feelings to me.